Times have truly changed and it’s quite imperative for any business to quickly adapt to the latest technological advancements. Mobile Applications have taken the world by storm! Majority of Smart, forward-thinking Entrepreneurs are taking advantage of the use of Mobile Apps to further improve their businesses. Local companies here in Botswana should really consider tapping into this booming Technology, for it would not only enhance their reach locally but most importantly, Globally as well.
If you are thinking of growing your business, here are 5 ways Mobile Apps can help you grow your business:
1. Boost branding – Since your company’s logo is always visible on your customers’ mobile screens, it’s virtually impossible for them not to remember you whenever they need your products/services. A Mobile App offers a definite advantage against your competitors who are yet to adopt this business strategy. If you want an instant brand boost or recognition, creating a Mobile Application is a great way to help improve your corporate branding & overall reputation.
2. Improve customer service experience– Your customers can benefit from being able to access your products/services anytime they want, while on the fly. This is especially true if you don’t have a help line that’s available 24/7. Your App can include a feature where they can contact you day or night, and without necessarily going to your website.
3. Act as a marketing tool – A Mobile App can double as a valuable marketing tool as well. How? It can be easily integrated with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn & other social media sites. That means, with a single tap, customers can share your App across their networks & even share their experience with your company, which can then offer you free publicity. By using push notifications, you can quickly send upcoming promotions or special events to your customers and prospects.
4. Acquire more customers – Keep in mind that today’s consumers are constantly moving and are addicted to their mobile devices. Undoubtedly, they would appreciate a useful and engaging Mobile App from your company. If your App helps them save or kill time or is just that awesome, they would even refer you to their friends and family.
5. Generate more income – A Mobile Application with order fulfillment ability can readily provide another revenue channel, aside from your website and or brick and mortar store. For example, functionality to make restaurant reservations, book concert tickets, buy goods and services, etc. are possible with a few taps/clicks.
So if you've been pondering how you can possibly grow your business? Mobile apps are here to save you!
We seem to believe so much in a 'Brick & Mortar' Business model here in Botswana....anything either than that is thought of as "impossible" or simply "non-existent". What we don't realize is....we are lagging behind! We don't believe in Online Businesses & we are really missing out on a lot of opportunities! Most IT graduates who are probably sitting on their Talents at home, could be cashing-in on this opportunity...making money Online! There is only one problem that is acting as a huge barrier to local Entrepreneurs to tap on this...."buying Online!".
Its not easy to buy stuff online from here unless you have a credit card! So almost everyone is left out....if we could simplify this process & avail it to everyone...Trust me, the world of Ecommerce would undoubtedly open a door to a plethora of opportunities for almost everyone here in Botswana.. Ecommerce: A Door to a Plethora of Opportunities
Think of Facebook, Google, Twitter, Dropbox, SoundCloud....these are all Online businesses that are making billions as i speak...take a look at Whatsapp...something that started off as an App idea by a developer and is now a Big company making billions! It goes to show that an App idea can eventually become a successful business! What we need to do right now is shift our minds from believing only in business that are physical & create room for Online businesses. Most IT graduates don't have jobs....with the introduction of Ecommerce...they can use their skills to develop their own killer ideas, start their own Online businesses & easily make money as "Online Entrepreneurs". With this approach, they can definitely put their creative juices to good use & make a killing, creating more jobs for Batswana at the same time! Who knows, they may even become the next Billionaires! Its all possible!
Alternatively, we can introduce Ecommerce through BitCoin - The Revolutionary Digital Currency of the internet that uses peer to peer technology to perform online transactions. I wanna take this moment to applaud Botswana Innovation Hub for inviting BitCoin Experts over here to come & educate the public on the benefits of using BitCoin. I just hope we will be receptive enough as Batswana to adopt this payment system because it could be our door to the world of Ecommerce for now...while we wait for local banks to catch up. I personally see so many good things out of this; local businesses can also adopt BitCoin and accept payments in BitCoin Currency. We would be able to buy anything from anywhere locally as well as Globally. Sending money to a relative abroad would simply be a breeze through BitCoin. All you need to do is simply pick your Smartphone/Tablet or Laptop/PC...login to your BitCoin Wallet, transfer the money into his or her BitCoin wallet and the he or she will receive that money in an instant! Its that easy! To create a BitCoin Wallet simply go to this website, click on 'Start a new wallet'...fill up all the necessary requirements & you will have your BitCoin Wallet in a minute! Benefits of Online Entrepreneurship
I strongly believe that Entrepreneurship is the driving force of any country's economy...with the emergence of Online Entrepreneurs, our economy is bound to pick up...more jobs will be created. Being an Online Entrepreneur is beneficial in the following ways: -You don't necessarily need an office...you can work from anywhere
-You can stand up for what you believe in; if you have an App idea, you can develop it, find your niche market & sell it online. -You can make money even when you are sleeping -Since you can work from anywhere as long as there is internet connection, you get to save a lot of money. You can test out your idea on the real world and see if it successfully takes off, if it doesn't you can make a few changes to it or come up with a new one...if it gains traction, thats when you can think of opening an office. This is how Whatsapp did it! they developed an App, gave it away for free to the world, the whole world loved it & couldn't live without it & they started selling it for $0.99, made a lotta money out of it and finally caught Facebook's attention which decided to buy the company for $22 billion. Whatsapp developers instantly became Billionaires!
All i can say is if we successfully pave the way for Ecommerce here in Botswana.... Anybody with a laptop & internet connection can make it BIG!
Finding information on a particular business locally is quite a headache because most local companies as well as Entrepreneurs, don't have websites at all...you have no other choice but to look for that info using Traditional means (newspapers, Botswana Advertiser, Radio, Telephone directory etc)...uhmmm hellooo! we are already living in the Digital Age, why are we still stuck in the Stone Age?! A simple observation i've made is that most local Architects don't have websites...the only way to know about em is through word of mouth through a friend, colleague or one of their customers...what they don't realize is that this approach is narrowing down their market! They could be making more...not only locally but Globally through their websites or even Mobile Apps! People may not like your designs locally but somebody out there might love em...you just need to position yourself properly...Online! The Mind of a potential Customer As a customer, if i am looking for a particular service, the first thing i will do is "Google that service"....Google will then come up with search results using my current location...if your website comes up at the top, good for you....i will instantly check it out! But at first glance, your website should completely convince me (Presentation Style should be on-point) that you are the right guy for the job...next thang i will need to see is a portfolio of your work...Trust me...every customer is always looking for "Social Proof"...that is; evidence that you are really good at your craft & people are actually using your services....if you don't have any samples of your work...trust me... You have lost business by Default! Period. Benefits of Tech To Local Architects The truth is...almost everyone is "Connected" nowadays...either through their laptop/PC, their Smartphones/Tablets or simply both. In other words, it has become much easier to reach potential customers right at the palms of their hands...if you are still stuck in using Traditional Media... You are really missing out!
For you to make a killing...you are gonna need a website....not just any other website but a Simple but Elegant, User-friendly Website with a catchy Domain name (e.g yourdreamhome.bw)that is fully integrated with all your Social Media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+). A website that is highly Optimized for search engines like Google so they can easily find your website. It will come up at the top of the search results or atleast on the first page of the search results. That's very important, because customers rarely visit other pages of the search results.
Having a proper website will enhance your business in the following ways: - Since your website will be highly Optimized for search engines...potential customers can easily find you & the services you provide. - You can use social media to drive traffic to your website since it will be fully integrated with all your Social Media accounts. A website without traffic is like a Billboard in the middle of the desert. You need traffic to generate sales.
- We will upload most of your Great work (Social Proof) so your potential customers can easily check out your 3D house designs & easily visualize their ideal homes. - Your website will be fully integrated with a shopping cart system, which would be beneficial to your company in the sense that if a potential customer happens to love one of your 3D designs...he or she can buy the house plan instantly...Online! The payment will be automatically sent to your account and the customer will simply receive the plan on his/her email. Its that easy!
- After checking out your website, some clients may want to arrange a meeting with you...they can do that through the contact form embedded on the site. You will receive an email notification; once you confirm the meeting, the client will be notified instantly. Whats good about this is that half your work is done because the website has already done all the convincing for you, through your online portfolio, all you need to do is simply close the deal when you meet up with the client. The client already believes in your skills. -One most important thang is...you wont just be Face in the crowd...You will stand our from the rest of the other Architects. This approach would also greatly benefit most "Interior Designers" as well... There you have it Folks! Simple! Elegant & User-friendly! A chance to make money even when you are sleeping...who wouldn't want this?! hahaha yeah that's what i thought!
The convenience of Life itself is going "Online" coz when services are Online...Life becomes easier! Email: dunfamline@gmail.com Whatsapp: (+267) 76459160
Transferring files to an Android device can be a pain in the butt...instead of having all those USB cables all over your work space, why don't you stand out from the rest & transfer all the files you need "Wirelessly" to your Android Device like a BOSS! wouldn't that be Cool?! Allow me to officially introduce you guys to 'AirDrive'....a Free Android App that enables you to mount your Android device as a Drive Letter on your PC, allowing you to transfer all your files wirelessly, simplifying the process that could be a headache to some. For this to execute smoothly....You'll need to install NetDriveon your PC and AirDrive App on your Android device... your Android device will show up as just another drive letter in Windows. You are Done! You can now enjoy transferin' em files to your device! Its that simple!
Who is to blame?! Hackers or Network Administrators/Engineers? If you leave your house door open or your keys on the door & thieves easily get into your house and steal all your valuable assets; who do you blame, the thieves or yourself? That's the question! A few days ago i made a blog post about Cybersecurity in Botswana, stating how most Network Administrators are ignorant, leaving router passwords as default, putting internet users in grave danger! Today i am gonna show you how easy it is to gain access to a router with a default password in 20 seconds! Yep! its that easy folks!
Now if you have physical access to the router, good for you... but as hackers we somehow enjoy the thrill of attacking a network Wirelessly! Assuming that the Wireless network was left open (no WiFi password) or the hacker has already cracked the WiFi password...taking over this network would simply be a piece of cake! All the hacker has to do is simply open a Web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Opera) and go to the router login page using the router IP address: 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1 etc..depends on the type of the router.
Usually on the router login page, the router model is always written somewhere. So in this case, you can see at the Top left corner of the 1st screenshot, that the model of this router is "DLINK DIR- 655"...easy! So since the hacker has the router model, what he has to do now is simply go to the Default Router Passwords website & start looking for DLINK DIR-655 default username & password and login to that router...see! its that easy! Once he has logged in to the router he can do pretty much anythin he wants; reboot the router, disconnect the internet, block some or all users from the network, sniff the network & grab all username & passwords etc. It takes around 4 minutes for the hacker to execute this attack...This not only poses a serious threat to companies but to home users as well...i would like to encourage Network engineers from Internet Service Providers (ISPs), to change router passwords for the safety of their customers. Follow this tutorial to check if you may be a victim, if you are...try to change the router password yourself (Google is there to help you). You never know, someone could be spying on you, and if you are buying stuff online with that credit of yours, don't be surprised if you lose all your money...Take these precautions seriously!
Cybersecurity begins with You - Be aware, Be Secure!
Try saying anything negative about a True Believer's Religion & you are in for a Big fight! The Truth is, people will do whatever it takes to protect/defend what they Believe in, whether its True or not. Its that simple!
Branding When it comes to Business Success, we can really learn a lot from religion. What churches do is simply instill a Belief System in an individual, once that is done, everything will simply run on "Autopilot"...whatever the church asks for, members of the church (True Believers) will do whatever it takes to contribute whatever they have to get it done (e.g money, assets, more people etc). They will even invite more people to join the church, assuring them on how this church will change their lives. Eventually, we now have an army that will defend the church in whatever way possible!
Now i am not trying to spark a heated argument on religion here & I am not saying you should stop believing in God; but i just want us to learn something here...something which we can apply in our companies. Lets take Apple for instance; try saying anything negative about Apple or an Apple product, to an "Apple-Addict" (Fan) & then see what happens...he or she will try by all means to justify how Great Apple products are. This Loyal Fan will go to the extent of buying almost all Apple products coz he believes in them (Quality, Class etc)...even if Apple happens to release a poor product (of which i don't think so---Yes i am Apple Addict as well...lol)...this customer will still buy it anyway! Catch my Drift?! In business, this is what we call...Brand Loyalty! Final Words Well the point i am trying to drive across here is, if you are gonna Brand your company / Product.....do it in a way that it creates a Strong Belief System in your customers, become a Thought Leader in your area of Expertise...in other words...become a GOD in what you specialize in...and people will Follow you, they will worship you! Eventually you will now have True Believers a.k.a "Loyal customers". You are done with your part now....everything else will simply run on 'Auto-Pilot' from there....Your Loyal customers will invite more people to join your Religion & your become even more Successful. In God we Trust...in Business we Pay!
Imagine waking up in the morning with a Great business idea...You pull out your laptop, register a new company and in about 15 minutes, your company is already up and running & you are already marketing your products/services to potential clients out there, receiving orders in a short span of time. You check out all your medical records from all your hospital visits, you check how your children are progressing at school in real-time without having to be physically there...the thought of venturing into Real-Estate pops into your mind, you immediately apply for a new plot & at the end of the month you are able to easily file your taxes right from your home, Online. Who wouldn't want to enjoy the convenience of this kinda lifestyle?! Yeah that's what i thought! This is a typical life in a Digital Society & its already happening in reality in Estonia.
Most people don't even know Estonia, but if you have been using "Skype" to make those Voice/Video calls, its high time you know that this is the country that invented Skype. It is one of the highly advanced countries in the world when it comes to Technology. The Education System
In Estonia, parents are able to monitor the progress of their kids in school by simply logging into an online portal. On this portal they are able to check the weekly timetables, attendance, reports, assignments, teachers comments and can even get to know more about the teachers conducting the classes as well. If your child skips class for instance, you will be notified with an SMS in real-time; this makes it easier for parents to attend to the matter immediately. If your child has an assignment to do, you will be notified by SMS as well, which makes it easier for you to know & check if your child is actually doing all these assignments thoroughly. At school, students use Tablets, learning is done in a paperless environment, no need to carry all those heavy textbooks at all, all the study material is loaded on the Web-enabled Tablet. Assignments are submitted online, not on paper. We need to embrace the idea of introducing such a system here in Botswana & most African countries & enhance our children's learning ability, getting parents involved in their child's learning progress at school.
Health System Everyone in Estonia has a Biometric Identity card which they can use everywhere. When visiting the clinic or hospital, all you need is your ID....Doctors will attend to you & write Digital reports & prescriptions using the online portal & if you happen to run out of medication, you can get to the nearest pharmacy; the pharmacist will use your ID to access your medical records, checkout the medication prescribed Digitally by the Doctor online & give you the right medication. Its that simple! The system keeps logs of whoever checked out your medical records, this is great because it even enhances the patient's privacy, if anybody secretly checks out your medical record, the system will log this & they can be easily tracked down using the system logs and the necessary action shall be taken. This system could be quite handy in Africa, no need for long queues anymore, more patients can get help quickly in a completely paperless environment, and you can get to see all your medical records easily in one place (Online Portal).
Transport & Public Safety
You don't need to carry money around in Estonia, your Biometric ID is the answer to everything you need. When travelling with public transport, all you have to do is pull out your ID once you reach your destination, simply scan it on the Biometric reading device & the charge will be deducted from your bank account instantly. The same applies to shopping as well. Even if you get mugged, thieves wont get a penny coz you don't carry any cash on you at all, all you have to do is report this matter immediately to the police & they will take care of the rest. The police are always connected, they have systems that are up-to-date, in their cars & if they see anything suspicious, they will stop and check the criminal records of anyone or any vehicle they suspect on their system in real-time. This kind of approach enhances public safety. Department of Lands & Housing
instead of having a stampede all the time like here in Botswana when it comes to land allocation, why cant we have a system in place that could ease this process?! Applying for land in Estonia is simply done online, the allocation process is done electronically, there is no need to stand in long queues all day. All you need to do is simply connect to the internet, fill out the online form, verify your identity using your Biometric ID, a verification code will be sent to your phone (Mobile ID), verify the code & submit it online. That's it! One more thing in Botswana is the tedious process of having to renew your ID/Omang, you always have to go to that office to check if its ready, why cant you check the status of your ID online, if its ready then you know that you are not gonna waste your time going over there! Business Instead of having to wait for so many days to register your company, it only takes 15 minutes to register a business/company in Estonia & your business could be up & running instantly. You can even sign business documents Digitally using your Smartphone/Tablet or Laptop/PC. Paying for taxes is a breeze, you simply file them online from the comfort of your own home or office, avoiding those long queues. It has been found that more people are now paying for their taxes in Estonia, all because of the convenience of this system.
Voting Voting in done electronically in Estonia, all you have to do is login to the online portal using your ID & phone to verify your identity, go to the voting section, browse through the available candidates, select your best candidate and vote for him or her. its that simple! you can vote as many times as you want but the system will only register your last vote. Imagine the hectic process of having to prepare for millions of people to vote, using the traditional system?! that's a headache! how about a Billion people? yeah that's even worse!
CyberSecurity Implementing such an Ecosystem raises issues of Cyber attacks....if we are gonna have a system like this in place, we gonna have to have a team of highly skilled & experienced Cyber Security researchers in both Penetrating Testing & Computer Forensics. Penetration Testers or Ethical Hackers will constantly try to attack this system & file reports on any vulnerabilities or loopholes they found in the system; The Forensics team will take a closer look at these reports & implement better ways to secure the system to avoid any intrusion by malicious hackers. An Incident Response Team will have to be put in place to catch these bad guys in a jiffy. However...looking on the brighter side of things....this entire Ecosystem can bring some Great benefits to most African countries & even improve the economy as well. Convenience at its Best!
